وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ لَهُمْ نَصْرًا وَلَآ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَنصُرُونَ 192
Translations
And they [i.e., the false deities] are unable to [give] them help, nor can they help themselves.
Transliteration
Wa lā yastṭāʿūna lahum naṣran wa lā anfusahum yanṣurūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphasizes the complete helplessness of idols, stating that they cannot provide assistance to their worshippers, nor can they even help themselves. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as a decisive refutation of idol worship, highlighting the logical absurdity of seeking aid from entities that are themselves powerless and incapable of self-preservation, thereby reinforcing monotheism (tawhīd) as the only rational path.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within a broader Meccan passage (7:191-198) that systematically dismantles the practice of idol worship through rational argumentation. The context addresses the polytheists who attributed partners to Allah by crafting idols from wood and stone, and this specific verse concludes the logical chain demonstrating that such idols deserve neither worship nor reliance.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this verse, Sahih Bukhari (3.34.305) contains hadith material related to the futility of worshipping besides Allah. The theme resonates with various hadiths on tawhīd, such as those in Sunan Ibn Mājah regarding the severity of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to place their complete trust solely in Allah, as all other entities—whether idols, wealth, or human intermediaries—are inherently powerless. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder to evaluate what or whom we rely upon in life and to redirect all hopes and petitions exclusively to the One True God.
Related Ayahs
وَإِذْ أَنجَيْنَـٰكُم مِّنْ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ۖ يُقَتِّلُونَ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْ ۚ وَفِى ذَٰلِكُم بَلَآءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ
And [recall, O Children of Israel], when We saved you from the people of Pharaoh, [who were] afflicting you with the worst torment - killing your sons and keeping your women alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.
قَدِ ٱفْتَرَيْنَا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا إِنْ عُدْنَا فِى مِلَّتِكُم بَعْدَ إِذْ نَجَّىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ مِنْهَا ۚ وَمَا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّعُودَ فِيهَآ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّنَا ۚ وَسِعَ رَبُّنَا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًا ۚ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا ٱفْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلْفَـٰتِحِينَ
We would have invented against Allāh a lie if we returned to your religion after Allāh had saved us from it. And it is not for us to return to it except that Allāh, our Lord, should will. Our Lord has encompassed all things in knowledge. Upon Allāh we have relied. Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth, and You are the best of those who give decision."
يُرِيدُ أَن يُخْرِجَكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِكُمْ ۖ فَمَاذَا تَأْمُرُونَ
Who wants to expel you from your land [through magic], so what do you instruct?"
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَنجَيْنَـٰهُ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَأَغْرَقْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا عَمِينَ
But they denied him, so We saved him and those who were with him in the ship. And We drowned those who denied Our signs. Indeed, they were a blind people.